Choujuu Sentai Liveman (超獣戦隊ライブマン,Chōjū Sentai Raibuman?, translated into English as Super Beast Squadron Liveman) was the 12th entry of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise. It was produced by Toei Company and aired on TV Asahi on February 27, 1988 to February 21, 1989. This season holds the distinction of being the first anniversary season.

Contents

Plot

This series takes place on Academia Island, which is both a location and a school for scientists. One day, Academia's three finest students, Tsukigata, Senda, and Omura felt their talents were being wasted at Academia and left. They accepted a position in the evil organization Volt. On the night of their departure, their former classmates Yusuke Amamiya, Joh Ohara, Megumi Misaki, Takuji Yano, and Mari Aikawa saw them leaving on a space ship. When asked where they were going, Tsukigata drew a gun on the five, killing Takuji and Mari.

Prior to the pair's deaths, Takuji and Mari were working alongside Yusuke, Joh, and Megumi in creating a suit strong enough for space exploration. They had made substantial progress on the night that they were murdered. One of the professors at the school, Professor Hoshi, pitched in to help them complete their original ambitions. Hoshi was also worried that Volt would begin attacking people, and thus helped out to prepare against a future assault.

Two years later, Academia launched a shuttle for space exploration. However, a mysterious ship appears and downs the shuttle; Yusuke, Joh and Megumi are among the few survivors. They discover that Tsukigata, Senda, and Omura were responsible for the destruction of the shuttle. As a result, Yusuke, Joh, and Megumi took up the powers of the original project, becoming Liveman to battle against their former classmates and Volt.

Later in the series, they are joined by Tetsuya and Jun'ichi, the younger brothers of the late Takuji and Mari.

Stage Shows

Notes

10th Anniversary Logo.

Along with its successor, Turboranger, Liveman celebrates the anniversary of the Sentai franschise, an anniversary logo was created and Daisuke Shima and Megumi Mori (who both were extremely popular singers at the time) were cast as a little something special for the anniversary. Although Liveman is the twelfth series, at the time of the series' debut, it was the tenth series, as Goranger and JAKQ weren't counted as Super Sentai until later. Both series celebrated the tenth anniversary of Super Sentai as Liveman was the tenth series and Turboranger aired ten years after the then first series, Battle Fever J.

This series introduces the following firsts in Super Sentai:

The first to feature a female Blue Ranger (Blue Dolphin).

The first to feature both a Black Ranger and a Green Ranger in the core team instead of interchanging them wherein one will be featured but not the other (or in the case of Zyuranger, Ohranger, and Gingaman, wherein one is in the core team and the other will join later as the sixth member) followed by Go-Onger and Kyoryuger.

The first to have a Super Fusion Robo, Super Live Robo (combination of Live Robo and Live Boxer).

The first to have less than 50 episodes in Super Sentai.

This season and Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger are notable for sharing similar concepts: both teams start off as a team of three with later members joining and both are themed and have mecha tied after the same three animals: a heraldic bird, a dolphin and a lion.

Liveman also shares similarity with Taiyou Sentai Sun Vulcan in being only the second series that starts with a three member team. Likewise, both season have similarities between their connected powers: the red teammate is a bird (Eagle/Falcon), the blue teammate an aquatic creature (Shark/Dolphin) and the yellow teammate a large cat. (Panther/Lion)

The Land Lion is the first true animal-based mech, as opposed to a mech that has animal motifs such as the others the Liveman use. Mechs actually based on animals would not become more standard until Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger.

Liveman is the very last Sentai to be credited as part of the "Showa period", both in Japanese and Sentai history. In actual terms, it is the last series to air during the reign of Japanese emperor Hirohito (also known as "Showa"), who died on January 7, 1989 (with six episodes left to air). In Sentai terms, Liveman is considered a cut-off point due to many of the changes and adjustments to the franchise to come after this series.